Attack on Cerinia
by XxSanitariumxX
Summary: Desperate to cut off the ties of his new and hollow life, Fox McCloud makes a blind jump into unknown space to find a new planet to start anew. Thinking the planet is devoid of sentient life, Fox settles down and starts his new life of solitude. Meanwhile, Krystal, a young Cerinian warrior and her tribe are fleeing their destroyed village while hordes of monsters are hunting them.
1. Chapter 1

'_It all looks so peaceful.'_

The gorgeous blue world reflected in the tired and bloodshot green eyes of the lone fox. Staring down at the world so untouched by technology or people filled him with a calm he hadn't felt in years. Like the planet devoid of sentient beings, he himself was entirely alone. For years he had been surrounded by the parasitic leaches, blinding lights, and life invading masses. He was almost ungodly famous; his fame he felt was unearned as no one ever celebrated a mass murderer before him. All he did was kill people and for that he was hailed as a hero; made out to be the example to little children. While he reaped the rewards of his acts, the horrors he'd endured rotted him from the inside. He couldn't forget what he'd seen; forget what he had done.

So much death; so much killing for the sake of his own personal vengeance.

All of that was finally gone now while he looked down at the innocent planet below him. He had no idea what its name was or where it resided in the universe. A blind jump across space brought him here all because in a moment of weakness the animal in him felt trapped and in desperate need of escape.

After hours of silent gazing at his new home, the fox finally tore his eyes from the planet. He'd wasted enough time only gawking when he should be down there living.

'_This is for the best. I can never go back there.'_ He thought sadly but still somehow relieved knowing that.

As he walked down the halls of his ship, every step he took made a ring of metal on metal. Looking down at his feet he saw that he forgot to put on shoes again. No matter, his legs and feet didn't feel much these days so the cold metal floor didn't faze him.

"Rob, prepare the Arwing for departure." The fox said as cold and metallic as the ship to his robotic companion.

His heavy steps carried him through the ship until he reached the hangers of the _Great Fox_. Half of the hanger was covered in dust while the other half was covered in rust. It hurt seeing his father's ship in such dishevelment, especially when he had the means to fix every crack and replace every missing rivet, but in his wild stupor he ignored it. He drowned himself in bright lights, endless liquor, countless women, and several hallucinogens he knew not the names of. Whenever he managed to scrape what was left of himself and his decency off of the floor, out of the empty bottles, and away from the women in his bed, he vomited just looking at what he had become.

As he walked into the hanger his ears pinned back on his head. The loud and mighty roar of his incredibly advanced fighter threatened to deafen his black tipped ears. Regardless, the red fox defiantly proceeded towards the venerable craft where a metal man stood in wait.

"Your Arwing is prepped and ready, sir." The metallic being declared.

"Thanks, Rob!" The fox shouted back over the engine of his ship.

He started to climb up the small step ladder but hesitated. It suddenly dawned on him that this was possibly the last time he would ever set foot on the _Great Fox_ or see his friend Rob. Most people can throw away objects like it were used tissue, but Rob was more than an object. Rob had helped him get through the hardest times of his life, stayed by his side even when the enemy outnumbered them a thousand to one, and even when everyone else was gone, here he still was.

"Rob I- …I wanted to… there's something I wanted to tell you-"

"Awaiting orders, sir." It replied in its toneless voice that only a machine could create. His ears drooped and he spat on the ground.

'_I'm wasting my time. His voice is the same as it was when I bawled my eyes out telling him father was dead.'_ He realized then shook his head.

"Goodbye, Rob." Fox replied as cold as the metal Rob was made out of.

"Goodbye, master Fox."

Again he hesitated but this time he did not look to the robot. Fox climbed into the Arwing and proceeded with takeoff protocols. He checked his flight and computer systems, oxygen and fuel levels, and finally his flight controls. All systems green.

"This is it." He whispered to himself as his body instinctively pushed the engines from idle to takeoff. "It's only me from here on out. No more drugs, no more lying, no more parasitic leaches, no more fame and glory and shit."

"Just me."

The Arwing's engine unleashed its entire might making even the colossal _Great Fox_ tremble within. The exhaust trail exploded in size stretching twelve feet back in a beautiful blue and orange flame and caused the air around it to appear like a coursing river. Fox's whole body lurched and felt pain as the G forces threatened to crush his body. All of the blood started to rush downwards but stopped at the waist keeping him still in full control and mental capacity. The blackness of space soon surrounded him as he left the _Great Fox_. While the unknown planet called to him with such a vehement siren's call, his heart yearned for one last look at his father's old ship.

He banked back around until the _Great Fox _was easily visible. Fox flew around the warship taking in every inch of its mechanical beauty. Sure it was a little worn from wear, but the old girl was still holding together even after charging through an entire enemy fleet head on. It'd been home to him for a long time but now it only held painful memories and a cold, unbearable air in it.

When he had drank his fill of nostalgia, Fox let out a low sigh and returned his course towards the planet. His eyes took in the new and beautiful sight of the tranquil world he had set his heart on. He set a course for the largest landmass and when the flames erupted around him and he broke atmosphere, he spied a large vein of mountains. The mountains ran down the landscape like a spine down a body. About halfway down the spine, a large valley opened up between the mountains that split apart down the middle and rejoined again a few miles down.

Inside the valley was a large lake as blue as an ocean, but so calm and gentle looking. There was a forest in the valley but it was relatively tame allowing for large open fields for Fox to land in. A perfect spot opened up to him that he couldn't resist both by the forest, in a field, and next to the lake.

"Seems a good a spot as any." Fox said aloud just as the turbulence and flames down shifted.

Fox careened the ship down to the mountain valley, a long vapor trail tracing his b line towards his new home. His altitude dropped like a rock due to his over eager desire to be home again. Just as it looked like he would crash and burn against the earth, the Arwing snapped up vertically one hundred and eighty degrees and held a stall. The Arwing remained completely still as it hovered just six feet from the ground. To further defy laws of physics and gravity, the Arwing tilted back to a horizontal direction and deployed its landing gear. Coming to a complete stop, the warship simmered down and soon fell silent.

The vulpine opened the fighter's canopy and was blasted by the wind. His nose twitched as it was assaulted by hundreds of new and strange scents, all of them started itching at his animalistic curiosity. The air was light and filled his lungs so quickly he was sure that the bio-readings were inaccurate. According to his instruments, this planet would support his lungs, his thirst, and even his hunger so long as he hunted and scavenged for himself.

"Seems like a nice place, even a little bit weird." Fox noted as he looked around.

His new home bore many of the common traits other worlds did, blue skies, trees, green grass, and wildlife. Some rather uncommon abnormalities were the massive fungi growing alongside trees, flowers that grew in a manner of ivy on trees, and the strange crystal formations that seemed to be imitating the plants around them by growing and spreading. The finder's fee of such a place would rank in enough to buy a new house on the beach and four square miles around it. For a second, fox almost considered giving up this stupid idea and just heading back to collect and retire on a secluded beach planet with enough girls to have one a day but never again in the same month.

"No going back… I can't do it. This is my home now." Fox reassured himself and hopped out of his Arwing.

He walked back to the storage compartment he retrofitted from where he usually kept nova bombs, and pulled out his supplies. In a few more minutes he'd set up camp and unpacked everything. He smiled at his proficiency and how easy it was for him to pick up all his old skills he'd learned when he was younger. So many days and nights he'd spent in the woods with his father, mother, and friends that he could put up an entire campsite in mere minutes. His supplies were without wanting as he had everything he could ever possibly need and then spares on the _Great Fox_ if absolutely necessary.

Even though the sun was close to setting, the fox started to feel tired as his internal clock thought it was three in the morning and he should have been asleep several hours ago. He sighed disappointedly to himself and decided to put exploring off until tomorrow. All he could do now was start a fire to keep the bravest and the hungriest of animals away. Grabbing an axe from his wealth of supplies, Fox walked over to the nearest tree, and plunged his axe deep into the trunk.

For almost a half an hour he tirelessly hacked away at the tree, determined to take it down and turn it into firewood. He was about halfway through the trunk when he took a small two minute break, allowing him to pull out a razor thin rectangular device and turn on some music. It made his work much easier now that he had a song to hold the beat for him, allowing his body to move in a synchronized rhythm.

The sun against his back felt good; incredibly good. He'd been trapped in the _Great _Fox for weeks trying to get here, and space was nothing but cold. Now that he was planet-side, he could relish in the warmth of the yellow sun until sweat began to form and dampen his fur. Before long he shed his shirt and his body glistened in the sunlight. Looking at him while his body was against the sunlight made him look like his fur had a bright orange glow of fire.

A half an hour passed by and Fox was starting to feel a little exhausted. He was about ready to take a short break but then he heard the tree groan and saw that he was on the verge of conquering the fifteen foot tall tree. With a second wind of renewed vigor, Fox chopped away faster and stronger than before until finally the tree began to snap and fall. The ground shook and the sound of it hitting the ground rang through the mountain valley scaring the wildlife and sending every bird within a mile scattering into the air.

A small hollow smile came to his lips when he saw the birds were a dark blue color with red striping. It reminded him a little of his old life, before the fame, fortune, and misery. It was hard to think about it, but even harder to stop. Fox only managed to stop thinking about it when the birds had all flown far away and all he could see was the sky had turned orange and red….

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

A lone figure sat in solitude on the edge of a cliff. Her eyes traced the remaining rays of light of the sun as it disappeared behind the mountains. She could not remember a more beautiful sunset in her young lifetime. There were so many oranges and reds that it looked to her like the gods had set fire to the sky. The young woman's bushy blue tail curled around her legs when her body started to tremble. Despite the cold she continued to gaze into the sunset, wishing she could fly high into the sky and be with all the beautiful colors.

Minutes trickled by and soon the colors gave way to darkness. When only a sliver of red remained, the vixen wept for the passing of such beauty. It hurt watching it go, as for the first time in weeks she felt at peace. Yet now the memories returned, memories of death, murder, and wicked black fire that burned everything she had ever loved until it was all but ashes and soot.

Darkness had fallen on the land before she mustered the strength to stand. Her soft paws walked so silently through the forest that she could have been mistaken for a blue furred ghost. In her hands she clutched a weapon so sacred to her that she would fight to the death for it. The further into the forest she walked the darker it became until she extended the weapon. The weapon turned out to be a staff with a very strong and heavy headpiece, perfect for bashing in skulls and yet light enough to strike with great speed and power, but that wasn't the most important thing about the staff.

"Light." The woman whispered, activating one of the staff's magical abilities.

A bright light blue light chased away the growing darkness, allowing the fox to proceed deeper into the forest without fear of falling and injuring herself. It wasn't until she came to a small camp did she shut off the light. There were many people in the camp huddling together for warmth as the camp leader refused to allow even the smallest fire to be built for cooking, let alone warmth. She was greeted by many of these people, especially the children, and when she sat down by her bed of skins she was passed a small wooden bowl of cold soup.

"Thank you, father." She whispered and quickly put her lips to the bowl and drank deeply. Much to her disappointment, the soup was cold and uncooked. The scavenged vegetables were roughly cut and the water made her body shiver as it fell down to her gullet.

"I'm sorry it's cold, I was not allowed to light a fire and cook it." The old black and silver vulpine whispered back as he watched his daughter eat.

The vixen was halfway finished with her meal until her sharp keen ears heard a grumble come from her father's stomach. The old man shuffled and let out a low hum in hopes of nullifying the grumble, but it was too late. She pulled her bowl away from her mouth and frowned.

"Father!" She growled slightly louder than the man's growling stomach. "I'm not letting you get away without eating again!"

"Now, Krystal-"

"Now nothing!" Krystal snapped and shoved the bowl into her father's hands. "You hardly eat anymore, instead you give it all to me. I'm grateful father but I will not lose you too, you must eat!"

"But Krystal-"

"Father. Eat." Krystal commanded.

The old man tried to stare his daughter down, but ultimately caved. What was left of the soup did not even come close to filling his gut, but it was a welcome reprieve having at least something in there. Before he could open his muzzle again, his daughter embraced him fondly.

"When did I raise such a wonderful young woman?" He whispered, hugging his daughter back.

Krystal smiled despite the small pain of hunger still in her belly. Not since her tribe fled their village did she have a proper meal. Along their trek to the nearest city she managed to forage for a rare berry that had ripened early, and the hunters managed to bring back small game. It wasn't nearly enough however, as there were thirty others that were practically starving on their march to safety. Their food supplies were dwindling and they still had so far to go.

She pulled away from her father just in time to see their tribe's chief approaching.

"Onyx, Krystal, you must get some rest soon. We have a long day tomorrow and not much time for rest." The tall and muscular vulpine murmured.

"As you say, Chief." Krystal's father Onyx acknowledged with a tired sigh.

"Chief Brenner, will I be keeping watch tonight?" Krystal asked.

"No. Garret, Blaire, and Arden will be taking watch." He grunted causing Krystal to shift uneasily.

Garret and Blaire were simple folk, a potter and a farmer but while they weren't hunters or warriors. They had no experience fighting or using weapons so if they were caught off guard they would be easy to eliminate, but that's not what really worried her. What worried her was Arden, the chief's son, being on watch.

"Oh. Okay. Good night, Chief." Krystal bade him goodnight before he walked off.

The young woman decided she best get as much rest as possible and laid down on her makeshift bed, but as she laid there, a nagging feeling coming from the back of her head. She didn't know if it was because of Arden, the whole situation, her growing hunger, her father's frailty, or something else entirely. Krystal tried to clear her mind but it kept coming back to her stronger than before. Not until she began to think about the beautiful sunset she had just witnessed did she start to feel calm again.

Her cerulean eyes fluttered shut, the last traces of light of day vanished behind her eyelids yet the colors of the sunset still glowed like embers in her mind. She allowed herself a small smile, and sleep seemed to be just seconds away until a loud roar both stronger and more frightening then thunder awoke the land.

It shook the trees and the ground amongst them like an earthquake. Women screamed, men yelled, children and babies cried; the party of foxes was in absolute panic. Many of the villagers took up arms with spears, staffs, and their sharpest farming tools, ready to defend their families and lives. Krystal herself leapt to her feet and drew her staff while also covering her ears with her left arm.

The thunderous roar seemed to come from everywhere until finally it passed over them and faded out towards the mountains. For several long minutes the only sounds that were to be heard were the sounds of children crying and their mothers and fathers attempting to cajole them back into silence.

Krystal closed her eyes and opened her mind. Her powers allowed her to stretch out vast distances and detect life and even communicate with sentient beings. Yet even at her long reaching limits she did not detect anyone not from her village.

Everything seemed to slowly calm back down and relax but then the air was pierced by a scream.

"Death! Death has come here! Here to our home!" An old and mangy looking woman shrieked at the top of her lungs. Many people, including the chief called for her to be silent, but the old woman seemed in a trance and detached from the real world and their voices.

"He is no ordinary man. Metal is woven into his body and flesh, he walks on fire like he would the earth, he holds the power of thunder and lightning in his hands, spraying death to all before him! His wrath will rain down from the stars and destroy the land! Wickedness. Wickedness is in his heart!" She prattled on making the recently quieted children start crying once more.

"Hannes! Silence your mate, now!" Chief Brenner commanded drawing his sword.

"Annie. Annie, please! Annie you must be silent-"

"The path he travels is one of misery and death! No one is safe. He must be stopped, he must not find-" Annie continued to shout until a pommel of a heavy sword struck the back of her head, effectively silencing her.

"Annie!" Hannes wailed as his mate collapsed into his arms and did not move.

Krystal's lips curled back and she began to snarl. Behind the old woman stood the cause of most of her life's transgressions. For years she teased her, bullied any boy that tried to become her friend, and was one of the worst warriors in the tribe but still strutted through the village like he was the gods' answer to all the world's problems. All of her hatred for him began to boil up to the surface the longer the sobbing of the old man continued.

"She's not breathing! Somebody, please help!" Hannes begged.

As much as the vixen wanted to enact justice on the arrogant vulpine, she couldn't ignore the old man's plea for help. The sapphire vixen rushed to the old couple, shoving Arden out of the way. Krystal did not listen to him or anyone's complaints about what he had done, she only concentrated on aiding the frail old woman.

* * *

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES~~~ So yeah, new story, not an update on the other ones. This is first of the many other ideas that have been popping into my head. I hope you enjoyed it and aren't too mad about the lack of updates of late. Good news though, Padawan is almost done, I've restarted Exchange Student again, Hell series is about halfway done, and Ice is ninety percent done. So thank you for being so patient and soon the next chapters will be up.**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**AUTHOR'S NOTES~~~ Oh boy, are some of you going to be mad since I promised updates on other stories but here we are with another Attack on Cerinia chapter. Why so quick? Well because I really like this story already and I can't wait to get into the meat of it, when Fox and Krystal meet. So yeah, I want to say I'm sorry for taking so long on other stories, but also I want to say thank you all so much for your reviews on the first chapter. That's probably why I wanted to get this one out so fast, a way of thanks. One thing I want to note though, I'm not going to be making chapters for this as long as I do for others. I think a good 3.5 or 4K (as opposed to the 5k+ I usually swing) words will work and they'll mostly be composed of half Fox and half Krystal. I've got a lot planned for the both of them and what their meeting will entail. Anyways, thanks again, sorry again, and I hope you enjoy.**_

* * *

The small tribe of foxes awoke before the first light of dawn could shine down on the forest they had taken shelter in. Their entire belongings were quickly gathered and packed and just as the sun peeked over the horizon, the tribe had continued their flight from the lands they knew and homes they loved.

Krystal rubbed the bags under her eyes, wishing she could have slept even an hour last night, but the old woman's injury was too severe to leave her side for even a minute. The blue vixen's hands were sticky with dried red blood that she tried to rub off on a rag. Annie's head continued to ooze blood for several hours after Krystal had treated it, and with every drop of the red ruby fluid, Krystal hated the man who did it to her even more. Working while she was exhausted was one thing, but working while she wanted to rip apart the bastard who did this to the innocent old lady, was another thing.

The worst part of it all was despite his cruel and unnecessary act, no punishment became of him. The chief chided to him, yes, but if anyone else would have struck an old woman so savagely they'd have been punished justly. Even though what he did was entirely wrong, he claimed that it was the right thing to do and showed no remorse.

"Poor Annie," the vixen whispered and pet the old wrinkly woman's bandaged head. Krystal let the wagon carrying her go on ahead even though she did not want to leave Annie's side. Annie was a very kind hearted woman, always giving treats to the children and listening to people's problems no matter how insignificant they were to her.

Before Krystal could take her first step, a presence walked up behind her, further ruining her mood.

"What do you want, Arden?" She asked as her fur stood up with rage.

"Not much of a morning person, are you?" A tall black and violet vulpine mused as he bumped playfully into her.

Arden, much to Krystal's dismay, was very handsome. His hair was long enough to reach his broad shoulders but he often kept it tied up in a braided ponytail some love-struck woman in the tribe gladly did for him. He was taller than Krystal, almost the tallest man in the tribe. His muscles were large and defined, and his fur was sleek and well kept. Almost every woman in the tribe wanted him, even ones with mates already. Krystal had to admit that if he wasn't so intolerable that he'd be quite attractive.

He wore the traditional garb of a Cerinian male, a loin cloth, a toga like shirt, armoring on his shins, shoulders, and forearms. Around his waist he wore a belt, sword, and a sheath decorated with tribal patterns unique to their tribe. Krystal's keen eyes spotted a small trace of Annie's blood still on the pommel of the gladius and it infuriated her.

Krystal retracted from him as quickly as she would if he had the plague. She knew that ignoring him never worked but she was ready to try it again anyway. The woman picked up her belongings and shouldered them.

"Hey, wait! Come on, Krystal, what's your problem today anyways? I haven't done a thing to you all day! Don't tell me you're honestly mad about last night," he scoffed and brushed his black bangs out of his lavender eyes.

Every time that she could remember, she and Arden fought after talking or arguing for any longer than a minute. This time however, a new record was set and the vixen dropped her belongings on her back and spun around on her heel, taking a wild swing at him. Her attack was fueled by rage and openly broadcasted so it was easy for the male to avoid it. The vixen pressed the assault but hesitated when the bane of her existence wasn't fighting back.

"Calm down, Krystal. We don't have time for me to beat you again," Arden laughed picking up Krystal's belongings.

"What are you doing? Put my things down," She snarled and stamped her foot.

"You're tired, let me carry your burdens a little-"

"Knock it off!" The young woman snatched at her pack, but the young man dodged. "I'm serious! Give it back! You're going to ruin it!"

Krystal and Arden had played this game since before they could remember. One always teased the other to the point they fought and squabbled. To the casual onlooker, it looked to them like any other kit on kit teasing and childish flirting. It wasn't uncommon what they did, many children in the village found their mates once they moved past the immature levels of flirting and into more romantic gestures. Only Krystal and Arden knew just how serious it was however, and that their hatred for each other was pure and deprived of any other feelings.

The fight soon escalated and the two foxes became wrapped in a grappling match. While Krystal was slender and rather petite looking, her muscles were very well toned and she could hold her own against most opponents. Unfortunately most opponents didn't include Arden. Arden was very strong, one of the strongest males in the tribe, so pushing her back was an easy challenge.

Feeling herself being pushed back, Krystal resorted to skill than brute force. She slipped her leg around behind his and tried to pull it out from under him, hoping he would lose his balance, but Arden knew all of her tricks since they fought so often. Instead, the vulpine turned her trick against her and threw her off balance.

The vixen yipped when she felt her body falling, but was a little relieved when she didn't slam into the hard earth thanks to Arden catching her. She couldn't celebrate yet however and fought hard to keep him from pinning her. She fought bravely, attempting to punch, slap, and claw him away, but he was able to bat her attacks away with ease and he moved in for the kill. Krystal knew that she had lost the moment her hands were pinned and his knee was in her gut, regardless, she squirmed and fought on.

"You know what I did was right. I don't have any regrets hitting that old hag. She was giving our position away with her insane ramblings. I was protecting the tribe," he murmured as he stared into the blue fire in the vixen's eyes. "One day everyone's lives will be in my hands, even yours."

"You don't deserve to lead," she snapped but only made his grip on her wrists and knee in her gut harder and more painful.

"If not me, than who? You!?" The dark furred vulpine almost threw back his head and laughed. "I've been bred for this my whole life! You've been bred to hunt small game, raise children, and satisfy your mate."

An unbridled strength coursed through the vixen giving her enough power to push him off. She had almost broken free and would have started the fight again, but Arden twisted her arms so painfully it caused her yip. The next thing she knew, she was lying on her stomach with her face full of moss and dirt.

"You're pretty strong, Krystal," Arden said into her flared ear while panting a little. "It's not like when we were kits though. I am _much _stronger than you now and you haven't won a fight in months. When are you going to give up and just accept my dominance?"

"You will _never_ dominate me!" Krystal hissed and dug her claws into whatever part of him she could reach. It didn't even phase him though and he leaned down to whisper into her ear.

"You think that now, but someday you'll be my-"

"Arden! Krystal! What are you two doing?! We don't have time for this," the powerful and commanding voice of the chief rang through the forest.

The weight of the young man left Krystal's body. Careful to keep her brazier on her chest to preserve her modesty, Krystal stood up and saw her hated enemy and his father glaring at each other. Secretly she hoped that chief Brenner would put him in his place, but that would mean she would also be punished to be fair as she was the one that took the first punch.

"Arden, watch over the caravans and make sure nobody rests in them for more than an hour," Brenner commanded with a voice made of iron.

"As you say, Chief." Arden walked away with footsteps made heavy from his anger and frustration.

Before Krystal could sneak away, Brenner caught her and held her back.

"Krystal, why are you and Arden fighting now?" He asked, anger so very evident in his tone.

While Onyx was her father, Chief Brenner was the father of the entire tribe. It was the chief's duty to watch over and take care of the entire tribe, so it made sense to feel like the chief was another father or mother. Having Brenner so obviously angry with her made her feel like she was only one inch tall. Worst of all, when he asked her why they were fighting, she couldn't think of an answer that was justifiable and didn't make her sound petty and immature.

"Krystal, these games you play are unacceptable! We are all in very great danger, I need you to put your childish antics away and grow up. I know you and my son don't always see eye to eye, but all of our lives are at stake." Brenner's jaw clenched and he looked behind them. Lowering his voice to a whisper he said. "They're out there. Hunting us… at the rate we're going…." Brenner didn't finish but he didn't have to for Krystal to understand.

"I understand, Chief. I'll make sure it won't happen again," Krystal promised him.

The black and grey fox smiled bringing wrinkles to his face not often seen. He put a hand on her shoulder and making her smile meekly in return.

"Thank you, Krystal. Out of everyone here, I'm counting on you the most."

As bad as she once felt a few seconds ago, hearing her chief say that gave her a deeper sense of pride as well as a burden on her shoulders. The weight of everyone's safety was placed on her back, yet she accepted it eagerly in hopes to prove herself.

"I will not fail."

"I pray that you don't," Brenner murmured. "For all our sake. In the meantime, see to Annie and come get me the moment she wakes."

~X~X~X~X~X~X~

The red fox took in a breath so clean it felt like his first. He stood upon the highest hill in the open valley nestled in the mountain range. His body was trembling with excitement and exhaustion but he refused to stop. Taking one quick second to decide where to run next, the vulpine spotted the lake's source and decided to bolt towards it.

He didn't stop or slow down the entire mile run and soon his run brought him to source of the lake, a waterfall in the side of the largest mountain. Not caring that he would get wet, Fox dove head first into the clear-as-crystal lake. Much to his surprise he sank deep into the depths of the lake but he did not panic, rather he relished in the feeling of the lake's water on his body.

It had been months, maybe even years since he felt this alive. No one was around to follow him, to annoy him, or leach off of his fame and success. After years of being a superstar, he had almost forgotten what it was like to be alone and the comfort of privacy. In the last week he'd been here however, he had started to feel a little lonely. Having not a soul to talk to or confide in was an isolating thing indeed, but there was a small comfort he took from being secluded. If he did ever snap and _need_ another person to talk to, he could always fly back to the _Great Fox_ and return to Corneria. That notion still didn't seem at all enticing yet however, and he still loved his new home.

Before his lungs could want for air, Fox resurfaced, struggling however slightly to keep his heavy body afloat. Fox swam several laps around the waterfall's bank before finally paddling up to the source and lapping up his fill of the falling water. With his thirst quenched, the red fox crawled onto the shore and removed all of his clothes before relaxing in the warm sun.

A nap started to tempt him but he forced his eyes open. It was just barely noon on the planet and there was still so much more to explore. As much as he wanted to get up and explore, he waited until his entire body and all of his fur was dry. To pass the time, he stared at himself and inspected every inch.

His chest, belly, and lower abdominal were all a milky white color with very soft and downy like fur while the rest of his body fur was a fiery red that to most came off as orange. Below his waist however, it was almost like his fur was colored in with a different hue or orange. His legs were all a dull orange, almost brown tinted color while his feet were black all the way up to his mid-calf. The same could be said about his arms however, as from his shoulder down, the orange was not the same life filled red as his back, sides, and face.

Scowling to himself, Fox rose back up to his feet and collected his clothes. Even though it wouldn't have mattered if he ran around naked, he still had a sense of civility. He also worried about crossing a poisonous plant that would have easy all round access to his body if he were nude. Once he was dressed again in his nice dry clothes, Fox continued his run through the mountain valley.

'_This place is absolutely amazing. It's so beautiful, fruit grows everywhere, the air is clean, and the water is fresh. This is how a man was supposed to live, not eating processed meats, drinking sugared water, or staring at a video screen all day,'_ Fox rambled to himself.

"Still… there's no one here to enjoy it with. Maybe if I brought someone along-"

'_Like anyone would have willingly came with you! They'd have all though you'd gone insane,'_ Fox's inner voice of reason lectured himself.

"Already crossed that bridge when I started talking back to you," Fox growled as he made ready to start yet another argument amongst himself.

'_You're not crazy-'_

"Well sane people don't go around talking to themselves, now do they!?" Fox looked around in embarrassment even though there was no one around. Relief swept over him once more finding himself all alone and he continued his argument. "Just what do you want anyways?"

'_That's a stupid question. I don't want anything you don't want seeing as how I _am_ you and you're just talking to yourself.'_ Fox scratched his muzzle as he thought that over to himself. _'I'm just the voice in the back of your head telling you that popping that pill some skank gave you while she was about to go down on you. Your sense of what's right and wrong.'_

"My conscience?" Fox blurted out loud. "I thought I killed you!"

'_And you almost did with all the partying, drugs, and alcohol! Face it, Fox, I'm back and this time I plan to stay. We're starting over again and we're not going to mess it up. I'm not going to let you ruin our life again-'_

"ENOUGH OF THIS!" Fox screamed at the top of his lungs until his ears rang and all the birds fell silent.

Fox waited for a while until he was sure the voice wasn't coming back. As confusing as it was, he knew that what it said was true. He had a very vocal conscience in him because of his upbringing. Before he became a hero and started to party like a bandit, that voice judged him and everything he did. He himself was his own worst critic and the only way to stop it was to drown himself in whatever mind numbing thing was closest at hand.

Sadly, he was starting to wish he had something to take his mind off of his issues. Hunting proved to be almost too easy, but then he was packing a sleek, top of the line sniper rifle with an 8x scope, interchangeable ammunition, and a maximum effective range of 1500 yards. The PLZ-R98, or better known as the Bishop (from chess), was more than a match for the local wildlife. He was a little bit rusty in his aim, but he could pin a shot onto a deer's eye if it looked at him funny if it stayed still for five seconds.

Fox arrived back at his camp just as the sun left its seat in the zenith in the sky and started to make its way down towards the mountains in the east. His animalistic nose started to twitch when the tantalizing smell of meat tickled his fancy. The fox's mouth started to water and he put more wood on the fire to cook his prey. With his fire dancing intricately and popping like fireworks, the vulpine walked over to where he had hung his meal and cut them down.

The fox had managed to track two little creatures that were the size of a baby sheep but had faces that made him cringe. They were rather low on the food chain as Fox had seen predators run them down by the scores. Still, their numbers were the largest of any land animal he'd seen so far, often roaming in packs of fifty or more at a time. With such large numbers, the fox figured it wouldn't hurt the ecosystem any if he took one, or two, or twenty.

For almost three whole hours Fox skinned, cooked, and ate his fill of meat. He still had a bit of brandy to wash it all down, but unlike before, he moderated himself and chose to actually enjoy the alcohol rather than guzzle it down until he blacked out. Everything went down nicely and by the end of it, the man felt full, accomplished, and ready for sleep.

Normally he'd have gone to sleep whenever the fancy came to him, but now that he was outdoors and unable to block out the sun's intrusive light, he had to wait until night to fall asleep. One good thing to come out of that was he never missed a sunset, and on this planet they strove to redefine the word "beautiful." He had yet to see another sunset with red and orange in it since the day he first touched down, but the sky tapestry was never left wanting of purples, pinks, and yellows.

As Fox tilted his head and relaxed in his bed, he waited patiently for the great blue sky to change. It was a very wonderful thing watching the sky's colors morph and change. The clouds were heavily exploited and where they were just white and fluffy coagulations of water vapors, they were now the headlines in the colorful tapestry.

Again the need of companionship pulled at the fox. How he wished he had somebody special in his arms, nestled up against his body as they shared the moment together. A special mate to confide in, love, and be another part of him was the only thing he truly craved anymore. It had been years since he could say he had someone like that, but she left him long ago on terms neither of them would say were in their favor.

"If there was anyone out there for me, it would have been her," Fox sighed as he began to choke up. "Maybe if I had been a better mate… a better man… maybe she would have stayed?"

Memories of his ex came flooding back to his worn mind. He missed being happy with her, waking up to her beside him every morning, and always having her at his side. There was no comparison to the floozies he surrounded himself with after losing her, she was a real woman that loved him and cared for him.

"Well… what's done is done," Fox said as his eyes became wet. "I miss you, Fara. I hope wherever you are that you're happier than I am."


End file.
